Ancient Definitions of Personhood and Difficult Social Precedents
The Homunculus, the Golem, and Aristotle
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55613/jeet.v24i3.29Abstract
This article discusses the basic philosophical and legal standards applied to defining the existential status of two artificial androids, the golem and the homunculus, during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, when their creation was actually considered possible and often believed to be an accomplished fact. It will also show how the historical definition of personhood has generally coincided with Aristotle’s notions, which he provides mainly to determine who is worthy of slavery. These sorts of historical stances on personhood are important because they elucidate the difficult social precedents facing any redefinition of non-human personhood today.”
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Copyright (c) 2021 Kevin LaGrandeur
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